Airship.



J. W. FREEMAN.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.6. 1915.

L1 W 89? Patented'luly 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses J. W. FREEMAN.

AIRSHIP.

- APPLICATION FILED AUG.6. I915.

Patented. July 11, 1916.

2 suzns-smsn 2 mwww Witnesses Attorneys arnsnrr. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July t, rare Application filed August 6, 1915. Serial No. 44,065.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oklahoma city, in the county of Oklahoma and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Airship, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to airships of the helicopter type, one of the objects of the invention being to provide means whereby air, when displaced downwardly by the lifting wheels or propellers, will be prevented from exerting a downward pressure .upon the body of the machine so that the maxi mum efficiency of the lifting wheels will be attained.

In airships of the helicopter type as heretofore constructed, the wheels have been so positioned that the air when displaced downwardly thereby has either come entirely or partly into contact with the top of the car or other part of the airship structure with the result that a downward pressurehas been exerted which has partly, if not entirely, offset the lifting action of the wheels with the result that a practical machine could not be produced.

One of the objects of the present inven tion is to avoid the objections above noted by the employment of shields or deflectors in-.

terposed between the sides of the car of the airship and the lifting wheels or propellers with the result that the downwardly displaced air cannot blow upon the body of the machine and, consequently, there will be no downward pressure exerted by the displaced air and which would tend to offset the lifting action of the wheels.

A further object is to provide shields or deflectors so positioned relative to each other and to the car as to assist in sustaining the machine while in flight.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter de scribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made I within the scope of what is'claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the pre ferred forms of the invention have been shown. 7

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the present lmprovementsi Fig. 2 is'a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on llne AB Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of machine. Fig. 5 is a section on line C'DI Fig. 4.

Referring to the figuresby characters of reference 1 designates the body" or-car of the machine, the same being provided with one or more propellers 2 which can be ar ranged at both ends of the body if preferred and which may be driven in any manner descrlbed. For example, each propeller may have a shaft 3 to which a gear 4 is' secured, this shaft receiving motion, through a gear 5, from a longitudinal shaft 6 to which a motor 7 is connected.

In the structure illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3; a series ofupsta'nding guards or deflectors, 8 has been shown along each side of the body 1,, these deflectors being spaced apart and each being preferably bowed transversely and concentric with a shaft 9 located beyond the side of the car. shaft 9 is of a-length substantially equal to that of the deflector 8 and at the upper end of each shaft is arranged a lifting wheel or propeller 10 adapted to work adjacent but outside of the upper portion of the deflector.

To the lowerend of each shaft 9 is secured a gear 11 receiving motion, through a gear 12, from a' transverse shaft 18 which, in turn, has a gear 14 meshing with a gear 15 on the longitudinal shaft 6. The various guards or deflectors at the two sides of the body converge downwardly, as shown particularly in Fig. 3.

Obviouslywhen ,the elevatingwheels or Each propellers 10 are simultaneously operated in one direction, they will displace air downwardly past the sides of the car, the deflectors or guards 8 serving to prevent any portion of the downwardly displaced air from exerting a downward pressure upon the car, 1

Consequently, no resistance will be offered by the displaced air to the ascent of the machine, as wouldbe the case should the deflectors be eliminated or should the wheels be located directly over the body. As the guards or deflectors at the two sides of the machine converge downwardly, they provide ample clearance for the descending currents of displaced air which currents obviously increase in transverse area away from the wheels 10. Thus frictionis reduced to the minimum. Furthermore, the downward displacement of the air and consequent packing and spreading of the air under the action of the wheels will result in said air pressing against the inclined or overhanging faces of the guards or deflectors with the result that an upward impulse or lifting force is exerted by the air against each of the guards or deflectors 8, thus assisting the wheels in their lifting action.

Instead of providing separatev guards or deflectors along each side of the body 1, av single deflecting or guard plane 16 may be provided along each side of the body 17 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, these deflecting planes converging downwardly and the lifting Wheels 18 and their shafts 19 being located beyond sai'd deflecting planes. Consequently downward displacement of the air can be effected without allowing any portion of the displaced air to press downwardly on the body 17. Furthermore, these inclined planes or deflectors 16 will operate to assist in sustaining the machine in the same manner as heretofore described with reference to the deflectors or guards 8. Another advantage resulting from the use of the guards 8 or 16 is the fact that they constitute stabilizing means so that, while the machine is in flight, it will be auto matically righted if tilted laterally, by reason of the pressure of air against the tilted deflector at the low side of the machine.

Where planes are used as in Figs. 4 and 5 it is desirable to use windows 20 at desired points so that the occupant of the machine can readily see beyond the sides thereof.

What is claimed is :v

1. An airship of the helicopter type, in-

cluding a body, a combined stabilizer and guard upstanding from each side of the body, and liftingv wheels mounted adjacent the outer sides of the combined guards and stabilizers.

2. An airshipofthe helicopter type, in cluding a body, a combined stabilizer and guard upstanding from each side of the body, and lifting wheels mounted adj accnt the outer sides of the combined guards and JOHN \V. FREEMAN. Witnesses:

IVY E. SIMPsoN, PHILOMENA A. ROCKELLI. 

